A Cruel Lottery

The next morning arrived after Eunji had been brought down to the basement. As always, around eight o'clock, Dohyung descended into the dungeon.

As soon as Dohyung stepped inside the basement, three voices rang out in perfect unison, greeting him.

"Oh? You already trained them to greet me first thing in the morning? I didn't think you'd have time yesterday."

Dohyung looked at Eunji with genuine admiration. He'd half-expected her to still be stumbling in denial, unable to fully accept her new reality. Instead, she was perfectly positioned in the number one slave posture, forehead pressed to the floor as she offered her greeting.

"Yes, Master. I... I instructed Haebi to assume the proper slave position."

Jia answered while still kneeling. Dohyung studied Eunji more closely. Jiseon had been careful to hit her lightly, but since Eunji had never taken a proper beating in her entire life, the faint marks from yesterday's punishment were still visible on her skin.

"Good. You may all rise."

At his command, the three women immediately stood. Their expressions, however, were completely different. Jia, long accustomed to this situation, wore a bright smile across her face. Jiseon remained expressionless, silently praying that nothing terrible would happen today. In contrast, Eunji—who had been thrust into this completely unfamiliar and abnormal environment—trembled violently as she stared at Dohyung. The memories of what Jia and Jiseon had done to her yesterday, combined with everything he'd already put her through before dragging her here, flooded her mind and filled her with pure terror.

While Eunji shook in fear at the sight of him, the other two noticed that Dohyung looked slightly different ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from usual this morning. Normally he arrived empty-handed or carrying only a simple plastic bag. Today, however, he held a large bundle of papers in one hand and a cylindrical metal container in the other.

Dohyung set his items down first, then slowly approached Eunji. The moment she saw him coming toward her, she instinctively took a step back. Ignoring her reaction, he closed the distance in an instant.

"So, Eunji. Do you finally understand who I am? You had no idea until yesterday, right?"

"Y-yes... You are Kim Dohyung, the Master we—me, Jia, Jiseon, and Taehyun—bullied back in high school! I'm truly sorry for not recognizing you!"

Thankfully, Eunji answered clearly. Jia and Jiseon didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if she'd failed.

"That's right. I'm that Kim Dohyung. And yet you had no clue and still fucked me so eagerly? Was my cock really that good?"

"Ah... well... that is..."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Eunji lowered her head slightly, her face flushing red. Back then, the sex with him had felt so incredible that she'd thought she couldn't live without his cock. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that the man attached to it was Kim Dohyung—the same person she'd treated like a toy and tormented for fun. On top of that, figuring it out hadn't been easy. The number of times Jiseon had beaten her last night just to drill the truth into her head was almost impossible to count. Her stomach, arms, and legs still throbbed painfully from the blows.

When Eunji hesitated and failed to answer quickly, Dohyung frowned.

"What? Are you saying it wasn't good?"

"N-no! It was... incredibly good... It was the best cock in the world, better than any other man's..."

Startled by his scowl, Eunji blurted out the answer in a panic. Seeing her flustered reaction, Dohyung's frown melted back into a smile.

"Look at you, getting all worked up. How is it that we had so much sex while I was right under your nose, yet you never realized I was Kim Dohyung? I guess that just shows how insignificant I was to you, huh?"

"I-I'm sorry..."

Eunji stared at the floor as she apologized. It was an empty apology meant only to escape the current situation, completely devoid of any real remorse.

"Unlike you, I've never forgotten any of you for even a single day over these past ten years. Whether my eyes were open or closed in sleep—even in my dreams—you all kept tormenting me. So how could I possibly forget?"

Eunji flinched at his words.

"That's why I set all this up. For revenge. Just so we're clear, don't even think about offering me money as compensation. The kind of money you're so proud of. It would just piss me off so much I'd want to strangle you. Especially if it came from you. You get it, right?"

"Y-yes! Master..."

Eunji roughly understood what he meant. From his words, she could tell that Jia, Jiseon, and Taehyun had all tried offering him money to make up for what they'd done. The problem was that if she said the same thing, it would press his berserk button. Back in high school, her family had already bought off his father with money to cover up the bullying. If she tried the same tactic now, it would bring back those memories and send his rage through the roof. She'd understood the warning well enough.

"Alright then. Since you've come here too, Eunji... why don't we throw away that filthy name Han Eunji and give you a fresh start with a new one? I've already decided what to call you."

Jia and Jiseon had expected this. They were curious what name he'd chosen.

"Your name is... Haebi. I'll call you Haebi from now on. Do you like it?"

"H-Haebi...? So... Ah, yes! I love it! Thank you so much, Master!"

Eunji had been momentarily stunned by the bizarre new name, but she nearly forgot the one thing Jia and Jiseon had drilled into her the night before: no matter what, she must express gratitude whenever Master bestowed a new name upon her. She'd almost slipped up in her confusion, but she remembered just in time. She dropped to the floor and thanked him profusely. Watching her, both Jia and Jiseon breathed silent sighs of relief.

"That's right. You should be grateful. I'm giving worthless human garbage like you the chance to atone by serving me instead of killing you outright. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, Master! It is the greatest honor to be allowed to serve you!"

When Dohyung turned toward Jia, she answered immediately.

"Good, good. So from now on, your name is Haebi. Don't forget it."

"Yes, Master..."

"You may stand. I have an announcement for all of you today."

After ordering Eunji to her feet, Dohyung walked over to where he'd left the bundle of papers and the metal cylinder.

"As of today, everyone who needs to atone to me has finally gathered. It's a shame Amta couldn't be here with us. Her mind's a bit broken right now, so she's receiving treatment. She might come back once she's recovered. Hahaha!"

Jia, Jiseon, and Eunji swallowed hard at his words. All three knew exactly what had been done to Taehyun. Though born male, his body had been altered to resemble a woman's, with breasts and hips now slightly pronounced. He'd lost his testicles—the very symbol of his manhood—and then been forced to realize he'd eaten them himself. Keeping one's sanity after that seemed nearly impossible. And they all knew that similar horrors weren't limited to Taehyun alone. There was no telling when Dohyung might snap and subject them to something equally nightmarish. All they could do was pray it never happened to them.

"Nabi, just like I told you before, you need to manage Kkami and the new Haebi properly. You know what happens if you make me angry, right?"

"Yes, Master! I will manage them perfectly!"

"Good. You've been here long enough to know the drill. When I say something, you should understand it instantly. Kkami and Haebi, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠listen to Nabi. When I'm not here, Nabi is number one. Defying her orders or resisting her is the same as defying me. If you're curious what happens then, go ahead and try it."

"We won't, Master!"

Jiseon and Eunji answered at once. Inside, Jia was thrilled. She believed she'd suffered the most after being the first one captured. Seeing Eunji, who had only just arrived, made her furious—Eunji had probably been living comfortably outside while she endured hell. That resentment mixed with the way Eunji had always subtly looked down on her even before the kidnapping. Now, however, Dohyung had declared that in his absence, she was essentially absolute ruler here. It felt like compensation for everything she'd been through. Of course she didn't want to be punished if Jiseon or Eunji failed, but at least she could move freely through the basement in ways they couldn't. Plus, she now had new targets to vent her anger on under the guise of "education." It felt wonderful. Even the way Dohyung seemed to be looking after her a little made him look handsome in her eyes—despite everything he'd done to her so far.

"Haebi will probably need a lot of training, so today I'll only go over the morning announcement and head back up. Nabi, make sure you take good care of their meals and bathroom needs while giving Haebi thorough slave training. Understood?"

"Yes, Master! Leave it to Nabi!"

Jia smiled brightly as she answered.

"Then... let me introduce what you'll all be doing starting tomorrow."

Dohyung picked up the bundle of papers and walked slowly toward the wall. He unfolded them and affixed the large sheet to the concrete.

The three women stared at what he'd posted. It displayed numbers from 1 to 30, with blank spaces beside each one. Or rather, white tape had been placed over those spaces, covering whatever was written underneath.

"Curious what this is? It's extremely simple, so even if your brains are full of shit, you'll understand after hearing it once."

Dohyung chuckled with amusement and picked up the metal cylinder he'd brought. The lid was secured with a small lock. He took a key from his pocket, unlocked it, and opened the container. Inside were countless folded slips of paper.

"At this point, you probably have some idea what I'm planning, right? Nabi, want to take a guess?"

"Ah, yes! So... if we draw a slip, the number written on it matches one of the numbers on the wall chart, and that reveals something... right?"

Jia based her answer on something she'd seen on a variety show once.

"Exactly right. Very good. Just as Nabi said, what you'll be doing is simple. Each day, one of you will draw a slip from this container, check the number inside, and then look at what's written next to that number on the wall."

As they listened to his explanation, Jia and Jiseon began to feel uneasy. Eunji had only been here for a single day and still didn't fully understand what kind of person Dohyung was, but the other two knew all too well. Whatever was written on that chart was almost certainly nothing good.

"You're probably wondering what's written there. Simply put, each one contains a mission you'll have to complete that day."

"A... mission?"

"Some missions will require all three of you to work together. Others will be individual challenges. Of course, if you fail to complete a mission, you'll be punished. Haebi hasn't experienced the individual ones yet, but Nabi and Kkami should have a rough idea, right?"

Jia and Jiseon nodded. They understood that the individual challenges were essentially the same as the confrontations they'd been forced into before.

"Pretty simple, isn't it? But here's the thing—the slips in this container aren't all missions."

Dohyung smiled widely, clearly enjoying himself.

"Some slips only have punishments written on them. If you draw one, you'll receive exactly what's written. On the other hand, some slips say 'Pass,' which means you do nothing that day. Since I'll be heading back upstairs, you three can just spend the day getting along nicely."

To the three women, it sounded like Dohyung was turning their suffering into some kind of game.

"Obviously, once a slip is drawn, it's removed from the container for good. Unless it's a very special case, you won't see the same mission twice. And now for the most important part... Ta-da!"

Dohyung drew one slip from the cylinder, unfolded it, and held it up so Jia, Jiseon, and Eunji could all see. The word written inside was 'Release.'

"See the word written here? If any of you draw this slip... I will let you go."

"What...? What do you mean by that...?"

"Exactly what I said. I'll send you back home. And I will never kidnap you again. Once this is drawn, our relationship ends completely. Understand?"

The three women understood. That slip—the one labeled 'Release'—was literally the button that would free them from this hell. They'd been waiting for the police to find them, but the uncertainty had been torture. The idea that simply drawing the right slip from this cylinder could send them home was almost too good to believe.

"There are a total of thirty-two slips inside this container. Thirty correspond to the items on the wall, plus the one that says 'Release.'"

The women now fully grasped the rules of this twisted game. Every day, one slip would be drawn. They would complete the mission or punishment listed beside that number on the wall. As the slips dwindled, they would eventually draw the 'Release' paper. If they were lucky, they might pull it immediately and be sent home right away, assuming Dohyung kept his word.

Then Jia raised her hand, having noticed something strange.

"Um, Master? Why thirty-two?"

If there were thirty wall items and one 'Release' slip, there should only be thirty-one total. Why was there one extra? That's what she was asking.

"Good. Anyone who's not an idiot would ask that. Why thirty-two instead of thirty-one...? It's because the final slip says this."

Dohyung drew another slip just as he had with the 'Release' one and unfolded it for them to see. The word written inside was...

"Re... set?"

"Everyone knows what reset means, right? It's exactly what it says. Even if you've been drawing slips and reducing the total day by day, if you pull this one..."

Dohyung deliberately paused, making sure all three women's attention was fixed on his every word.

"Everything you've drawn so far goes back into the container, and you start over. Got it?"

"Yes, Master!"

The three women answered in unison. They understood perfectly that the 'Reset' slip was something they must avoid at all costs.

"Now that I've explained the basic rules... Ah, shall we try a test draw today? This is just practice, so Nabi, come here and draw one."

"Yes, Master."

Dohyung placed both the 'Release' and 'Reset' slips back into the cylinder and shook it thoroughly. Then he held it out for Jia to draw from. After a moment of hesitation, she reached in and pulled out a single slip.

"So? What does it say?"

"It says... 25."

"Twenty-five, huh? Let's see..."

Dohyung walked over to the chart on the wall and slowly peeled away the white tape covering the space beside the number 25. He kept his body positioned so the three women couldn't see what was written there.

"Pfft—Hahahahaha! Wow, it's a good thing this was just practice, isn't it? You three almost got screwed."

"Huh?"

"If we'd started the real game today, you'd have had to do this immediately."

Dohyung stepped aside so they could finally see what was written beside 25. When the three women read it, they froze in shock.

Number 25 read: 'Nail Removal.'